Sixth Sunday Of Easter
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series IV, Cycle A
Hymns
Our Cities Cry To You, O God (PH437)
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (PH376, UM384, LBW315, NCH43)
Holy Spirit, Truth Divine (PH321, UM465)
There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit (PH398, UM334)
Thy Holy Wings, O Savior (UM502)
Come Down, O Love Divine (LBW508, NCH289, PH313)
O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee (OBW492, NCH502, PH357)
My Song Is Love Unknown (LBW94, NCH222, PH76)
Anthems
Praise The Lord, Service Music, Hal Hopson, CGA, Unison 2--part
If You Love Me, Patterson, CGA, SAB, SATB
If Ye Love Me, Thomas Tallis, several publishers, many voicings
The Voice Of His Praise, Malcolm Williamson, Boosey and Hawkes, Unison/congregation
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 66)
Leader: Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of God's praise be heard.
People: Come and hear, all you who fear God; and we will tell what God has done for us.
Leader: We cried aloud to Yahweh, and extolled God with our voices.
People: If we had cherished iniquity in our hearts, Yahweh would not have listened.
Leader: But truly God has listened; God has given heed to the words of our prayers.
All: Blessed be God, because our prayers have not been rejected and God's steadfast love is always with us. Let us worship God.
Call to Confession
Jesus tells us that he will not leave us orphaned, that he is coming to us. But sometimes we feel just like orphans, alone and unloved. Let us confess those sins that cause us to feel so alone. Let us pray.
Prayer of Confession
Loving and merciful God, why do we feel so alone in this world? We are surrounded by people every day, and yet we do not reach out. We stay wrapped up in our own world. Even those we love most do not receive our genuine love. We let the busyness of each day get in the way of our relationships. Jesus loved his disciples and was sorry to leave them. He wanted them to understand that he would be "with them" always. But they couldn't understand it, just as we find it so hard to understand that we are truly never alone. You are right there waiting for us to engage you in our lives. Help us, God. Keep our minds focused on you, and not the material things we can see. Help us to know that you will give us all we need. Jesus knew that, and we want to understand, also. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear the good news! Christ loves us, Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God. Christ was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit. Christ loves us and forgives us. Alleluia!
Scripture Readings
Acts 17:22--31: This is a perfect passage for one person to memorize and give just as Paul would have done it. Have someone introduce it by saying, "Paul is in Athens, waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive. He is concerned because of all the idols he sees everywhere. Some of the philosophers brought him to the Areopagus, and asked him to tell them about this new teaching of Jesus. So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said:" The person playing Paul would then stand directly in front of the congregation and recite this passage as if he were ready to engage in a debate.
John 14:15--21: This passage could be easily done by a small group of three people with a Narrator explaining that this passage is part of Jesus' explanation to his disciples of what is going to happen to him. He explains that he will not leave them alone. Begin with the speakers standing as shown below.
2
1 3
Voice 2: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Voice 1: And I will ask the Father,
Voice 3: And he will give you another Advocate
All: To be with you forever.
Voice 1: This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
Voice 3: You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
All: I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
Voice 2: In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me;
Voices 1 and 3: Because I love, you also will live.
Voice 2: On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
(Speakers move to new positions)
2
1
3
Voice 1: They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me;
Voice 3: And those who love me will be loved by my Father
All: And I will love them and reveal myself to them.
Call to Offering
What God has prepared for those who love God will be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Let us prepare to share God's gifts with others by giving generously to the morning offering.
Prayer of Dedication
Gracious and loving God, we bring our gifts today because we want to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We have been given great gifts through your loving kindness, and we want those around the world to know that love. Accept our offering and use it to further your work, so that we might better understand the gifts you have bestowed on us. Amen.
Benediction
Leader: Go in peace, to do what is good and right in God's name.
People: May God go with us to guide us in our deeds.
Leader: God is with you always. It is we who remove ourselves from God.
People: Let us walk with God as we go through the coming week. Let us remember Jesus' model of ministry.
Leader: In the name of the God who created us, Jesus who loves us, and the Holy Spirit who spurs us on - Go in peace. Amen.
Our Cities Cry To You, O God (PH437)
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (PH376, UM384, LBW315, NCH43)
Holy Spirit, Truth Divine (PH321, UM465)
There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit (PH398, UM334)
Thy Holy Wings, O Savior (UM502)
Come Down, O Love Divine (LBW508, NCH289, PH313)
O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee (OBW492, NCH502, PH357)
My Song Is Love Unknown (LBW94, NCH222, PH76)
Anthems
Praise The Lord, Service Music, Hal Hopson, CGA, Unison 2--part
If You Love Me, Patterson, CGA, SAB, SATB
If Ye Love Me, Thomas Tallis, several publishers, many voicings
The Voice Of His Praise, Malcolm Williamson, Boosey and Hawkes, Unison/congregation
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 66)
Leader: Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of God's praise be heard.
People: Come and hear, all you who fear God; and we will tell what God has done for us.
Leader: We cried aloud to Yahweh, and extolled God with our voices.
People: If we had cherished iniquity in our hearts, Yahweh would not have listened.
Leader: But truly God has listened; God has given heed to the words of our prayers.
All: Blessed be God, because our prayers have not been rejected and God's steadfast love is always with us. Let us worship God.
Call to Confession
Jesus tells us that he will not leave us orphaned, that he is coming to us. But sometimes we feel just like orphans, alone and unloved. Let us confess those sins that cause us to feel so alone. Let us pray.
Prayer of Confession
Loving and merciful God, why do we feel so alone in this world? We are surrounded by people every day, and yet we do not reach out. We stay wrapped up in our own world. Even those we love most do not receive our genuine love. We let the busyness of each day get in the way of our relationships. Jesus loved his disciples and was sorry to leave them. He wanted them to understand that he would be "with them" always. But they couldn't understand it, just as we find it so hard to understand that we are truly never alone. You are right there waiting for us to engage you in our lives. Help us, God. Keep our minds focused on you, and not the material things we can see. Help us to know that you will give us all we need. Jesus knew that, and we want to understand, also. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear the good news! Christ loves us, Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God. Christ was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit. Christ loves us and forgives us. Alleluia!
Scripture Readings
Acts 17:22--31: This is a perfect passage for one person to memorize and give just as Paul would have done it. Have someone introduce it by saying, "Paul is in Athens, waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive. He is concerned because of all the idols he sees everywhere. Some of the philosophers brought him to the Areopagus, and asked him to tell them about this new teaching of Jesus. So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said:" The person playing Paul would then stand directly in front of the congregation and recite this passage as if he were ready to engage in a debate.
John 14:15--21: This passage could be easily done by a small group of three people with a Narrator explaining that this passage is part of Jesus' explanation to his disciples of what is going to happen to him. He explains that he will not leave them alone. Begin with the speakers standing as shown below.
2
1 3
Voice 2: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Voice 1: And I will ask the Father,
Voice 3: And he will give you another Advocate
All: To be with you forever.
Voice 1: This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
Voice 3: You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
All: I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
Voice 2: In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me;
Voices 1 and 3: Because I love, you also will live.
Voice 2: On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
(Speakers move to new positions)
2
1
3
Voice 1: They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me;
Voice 3: And those who love me will be loved by my Father
All: And I will love them and reveal myself to them.
Call to Offering
What God has prepared for those who love God will be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Let us prepare to share God's gifts with others by giving generously to the morning offering.
Prayer of Dedication
Gracious and loving God, we bring our gifts today because we want to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We have been given great gifts through your loving kindness, and we want those around the world to know that love. Accept our offering and use it to further your work, so that we might better understand the gifts you have bestowed on us. Amen.
Benediction
Leader: Go in peace, to do what is good and right in God's name.
People: May God go with us to guide us in our deeds.
Leader: God is with you always. It is we who remove ourselves from God.
People: Let us walk with God as we go through the coming week. Let us remember Jesus' model of ministry.
Leader: In the name of the God who created us, Jesus who loves us, and the Holy Spirit who spurs us on - Go in peace. Amen.
